


What Heights of Love

by lesbianpapyrus



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Doomed Relationship, Eventual Smut, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, King Mettaton, M/M, Post-Undertale Neutral Route - King Mettaton Ending, Romance, Tragedy, Transphobia, smut is skippable, the human is nonbinary, this is generally not a happy story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-01-30 12:33:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12653628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianpapyrus/pseuds/lesbianpapyrus
Summary: When Mettaton became king, he planned on building statues of himself, holding lavish parties, and generally making the Underground his personal paradise.When Papyrus became the king’s agent, he planned on wearing suits, making phone calls, and serving his king to the best of his ability.Neither of them planned on falling in love.Nor did they plan on what came after.





	1. Freedom at a Cost

 

It was a beautiful day outside.

Birds were singing.

Flowers were blooming.

But the human noticed none of that.

Lying facedown on the ground, eyes closed, they could only gasp in the fresh air as though they’d never breathed before.

 _How many times did I just die?_ they wondered.

They opened their eyes. Golden flowers and green grass waved hazily in front of their vision.

_I’ve crossed the barrier._

The thought hit them like a thunderbolt.

_I’ve crossed the barrier, but they’re all still trapped._

The human sat up and turned to gaze at the massive mountain behind them. Underneath it, far below in the caverns, were hundreds, perhaps thousands of monsters they’d left behind, unable to reach the warm sunlight and the cool, clean air that they had not ever felt in their lifetimes.

Tears gathered in the human’s eyes.

They hadn’t meant for everything to go so wrong.

They hadn’t meant to kill that nice goat lady, Toriel. She had wanted them to fight, wanted them to prove that they could survive outside the great purple doors.

They’d given her what she wanted, but the human had not known their own strength, and neither had Toriel. With a few strikes, they had taken her down.

And then there had been Undyne.

The human had not wanted to kill her either.

But unlike Toriel, Undyne had fought with the intent to kill, to take their soul and present it to Asgore so he could destroy humanity.

The human had tried to spare her, tried to be kind, tried to show her that humans could be good too, but her determination to win and free her people had been too great.

They had seen no benefit to fleeing. So they had chosen to fight, and after many deaths, by some miracle, they had won.

And Undyne was dead.

In some ways, her death had been even more heartbreaking than Toriel’s. Toriel had looked into the human’s eyes, told them they were strong enough to survive, and begged them to be good before she turned into dust, revealing her soul, which shattered within seconds.

Undyne had screamed, screamed for Papyrus, for Alphys, for Asgore, had repeatedly shouted, “I WON’T DIE! I WON’T DIE!” as she began to melt into the ground with the sheer amount of determination in her body. Then she, like Toriel, turned to dust and blew away in the wind, and the human was left alone with their own horror and guilt.

It had only gotten worse when Alphys had led them through Hotland, at one point posting _just realized i didn’t watch undyne fight the human v.v_ and _well i know she’s unbeatable i’ll ask her abt it later ^.^_ on her UnderNet account. The human’s heart had seemed to seize up, and they had stopped to sit on the ground for nearly five full minutes, wondering how on earth they had had it in them to kill someone that people obviously cared about.

And then there had been Asgore.

Strangely enough, out of all the monsters they had met, the King seemed to be the most reluctant of all to fight them. And yet he had destroyed their opportunities to offer mercy and forced them into battle anyway.

At the end, the human had refused to kill him. They had taken the lives of two people already, neither of whom had deserved to die, and they had decided they would kill no more.

And then Flowey had come.

And he had killed the King, and dragged the human into a hellish battle against his terrifying demigodlike form, a battle that would haunt the human’s nightmares for months to come.

And at the end of it all, with the help of six human souls, Flowey lay defeated before them, and they once again refused to kill.

Flowey had run away to some far-off place that nobody knew, and the human had passed through the barrier, to appear on the other side of the mountain from where they had entered, where they now lay on the ground in utter disbelief.

Now they could only lay back down and cry their tears—tears of regret, tears of guilt, tears of fear and horror—and even relief.

Their journey was over. They were free.

But at what cost?

Was the freedom of one guilty child worth the imprisonment of thousands of innocent monsters?

And even if it were, the child was not truly free.

To return home…

To return home would mean the worst kind of trouble.

To return home would mean pain, and more tears, and words of “love” and “encouragement” that masked lies and hatred.

But where else could they go? They could never survive on their own out here. And they could never return to the Underground; the six humans souls surely must have disappeared with Flowey, and a bounty could be on the human’s head, were they ever to go back there.

Home was the only option.

The human eventually dried their tears and stood, taking one last look at the mountain, and wishing beyond all hope that they could turn back time to the beginning.

They could cheat death, it seemed, at least while they were underground. But there must be a limit to this power.

The human looked at their hands, stained with the dust of monsters who had only loved, who had only meant well, who had only wanted to protect.

Then they started toward home, determined to keep calm and simply stand against what lay ahead, and wanting with all their heart to go back and set things right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! it's me, Gem, back with a new story to add to my constant supply!
> 
> this is gonna be a long one, folks, I've already got every single chapter planned out. so sit tight and get ready for a wild wave of emotion.
> 
> this will not be a very happy story, as you will already have seen if you read the tags. but you may be pleasantly surprised at the ending.
> 
> let me know if you liked this, or if you're interested in the story! nice comments keep me going :>


	2. The New King

The Underground was in chaos.

Asgore was dead. The monsters’ beloved King, the one who had led them in war and then ruled them for centuries afterwards, was gone, presumably slain by the human who had passed through. And there was seemingly no one to take his place.

His queen had disappeared long ago to a place no one knew. And the Captain of the Royal Guard, the only real next choice for a leader, was missing as well.

Some of the Royal Guard in Snowdin rallied everyone together once word got out. “We must find Captain Undyne at all costs!” Dogaressa cried, slamming her first down on a table in Grillby’s restaurant. “Do not leave one stone unturned. We can’t give up hope.”

But as day after day went by without a sign of Undyne, hope became increasingly harder to hold on to.

Indeed, even the most hopeful of monsters, the shining star of the Underground, found himself in deep despair for a brief period of time.

Mettaton sat alone in his dressing room in front of the mirror, wiping tears from his eyes. _Asgore, why did you have to leave me?_

He remembered everything about the King—how he had looked upon the robot with pride the very first time he had seen him. How he had asked and asked Mettaton over for tea until he accepted. How he had listened to everything Mettaton had to say, and comforted him when he was upset, and encouraged him when he was unsure.

It felt very much like Mettaton had lost another parent.

What made it worse was the feeling of being responsible for it. If only Mettaton had killed the human instead of letting them go… humanity would probably have been destroyed, but at least Asgore would still be around.

But as much as he tried to feel sorry, as much as he tried to hate the human, he could not. He could not bring himself to revile humanity—not after it had brought him so much happiness for so long.

Besides, surely this human had only been defending itself—right? Could Mettaton really blame it for that?

A knock on the door brought Mettaton out of his thoughts. One of his assistants poked her head in the door. “Mettaton, sir, there’s five minutes before your next broadcast,” she told him. “I’m… I’m afraid there’s nothing new to add.”

“Thank you.” Mettaton dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

How many days was he going to have to give the same report? The Captain was missing. There was no news about a new successor to Asgore. Mettaton had a feeling that wouldn’t change anytime soon.

He lay his head on the dresser-top and sighed. _You were the king for so long… no one else knows how to do this._

Everyone was clamoring for Captain Undyne, but in his heart, Mettaton didn’t think she had the right stuff for the job. She could be kind and caring and selfless, but she was also hotheaded and emotional, always on the move, never really having patience for the rules save the ones that suited her. She would never sit down long enough to make new laws and do business and actually run a kingdom.

Mettaton, on the other hand? He knew all about running things—he’d practically started the television and movie industry in Hotland. He knew how to keep things going smoothly, how to tell his employees what to do, how to keep them all in line. He knew how to play fair and please the audience. He knew how to follow the rules and make new ones when they were needed.

With that kind of experience, Mettaton would probably make a better ruler than Undyne.

_I’d probably make a better ruler than Undyne…_

Mettaton sat up suddenly, his soul beating fast.

Honestly, who else out there was better suited to lead the people? There were the members of the King’s Council, but they were all mostly commonfolk who had families and other jobs and really only reported on what things were like in different areas of the kingdom and made suggestions. That didn’t mean any of them could become king.

Other than that, the only other significant person in the Underground was himself. And he was more than just significant—he was the greatest source of hope for monsters! His (admittedly staged) adventures brought light and excitement to their lives. So many of them had told him how much they appreciated his constant reminders of just how close they were to the surface and freedom.

Of course, losing all six of the human souls they’d had was a major setback… but at least three humans had fallen during the last century, so surely it wouldn’t take long to build them back up.

And in the meantime, Mettaton would entertain all the monsters with new shows and music!

In his mind, it was a foolproof plan.

Mettaton checked the clock. Only a couple of minutes until his next broadcast—no time to prepare a proper speech. He’d have to improvise.

Fortunately, improvisation was one of his many talents.

He adjusted his suit and tie before exiting his dressing room and heading for the newsroom. “Everything ready?” he asked as his assistants rushed around, putting away papers and wiping off camera lenses. They patted down Mettaton’s suit and combed his hair as he sat at the desk in front of the cameras. When the cameraman gave him a tentative thumbs-up, Mettaton nodded, and the cameras started rolling.

As he appeared live on the news station across the Underground, Mettaton made sure his face was sober and collected. “My fellow monsters,” he began, “it has been five days since the death of our beloved King Asgore, and still there has been no sign of Captain Undyne of the Royal Guard. Search parties are still out looking for her in the deepest crevices of Waterfall and on the tallest cliffs of Hotland.” He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “But truthfully… I believe this is a… pointless endeavor. We all know what the Captain was like—if she were still here, she would not let us worry like this. She would have stepped up to help us all already. Therefore… I think by this point we must assume the worst, and recognize that the Captain is no longer with us.” He paused to let his words sink in.

The cameramen and assistants looked around at each other uncertainly, wondering where he was going with this.

“If that is the case…” Mettaton gazed sadly into the camera. “…then there is still one question we all have—who will rule us? Who _can_ rule us? Is there some monster out there who has the ability to run the kingdom anywhere near as well as Asgore did?” After another slight pause, he smiled. “I believe there is.”

Everyone else in the room waited with bated breath to hear what he would say.

“There is only one other monster who has the social prominence of the King and the Captain. There is only one other monster who knows how to take command of people. There is only one other monster who knows to make tough decisions for the good of everyone under him. And I believe that that monster…” He took a deep breath. _This is it, Tonnie. You can do it. You’re the only one._ “… is me.”

One of the assistants dropped his clipboard.

Mettaton’s smile grew wider, but he kept the sadness in his eyes and did not allow his voice to reach its usual flamboyancy. “That’s right, beauties. If there is no one else, then I will be willing to take on this difficult task and become your King. I promise to be a fair ruler with a listening ear and a caring heart. I will wipe away your tears and bring back the hope we have lost, if you will allow me to take the helm and lead the way.” He placed a hand on his chest, his heart swelling with the sincerity of his next words. “I care deeply about the welfare of the people of this land and the fate of this kingdom. I wish to take an active part in bettering our lives and making the Underground a wonderful place to live in until we get the freedom we rightfully deserve.” He folded his hands on the desk in front of him. “I patiently await your response here in the studio. If you’ll have me, I will strive to be the best king I can be. Thank you.” He motioned for the cameraman to stop filming.

All eyes were on Mettaton as he got up to leave the room. “What?” he said innocently, one hand on the doorknob.

“Is… is this for real?” the cameraman asked timidly.

“No, it was all a big joke. That’s why I broadcasted it to the entire Underground,” Mettaton replied flatly. Then he smiled. “Of course it is. If Captain Undyne can’t be found, then it only makes sense that the most notable person down here—who has experience leading people—should be the next ruler.” He left the room without another word.

Outside, he exhaled. It was done. He’d made his offer to the people, and now he had to wait for their response.

In the meantime, he had to go looking for someone.

†

Far from Hotland, another monster was having a dilemma of his own.

Papyrus the skeleton hadn’t seen Undyne in five days, and his heart ached for her. He’d done everything he could to find her—he’d searched the entire Underground for days alongside the remainder of the Royal Guard, even helping them scour Hotland, a place he hated with every fiber of his being, for any sign of her.

Absolutely nothing.

Well, actually, there had been some dust outside the tunnel to Hotland…

But Papyrus had chosen to believe that that was in no way significant. And so had everyone else.

At one point, Papyrus had asked his brother Sans where he thought Undyne might have gone. He’d hesitated every so slightly before saying he didn’t know, maybe she’d gone on vacation.

Vacation. Yeah. Papyrus vastly preferred that explanation to the alternative.

So he chose to believe that, too.

Now, all he wondered was why the human had killed Asgore.

He’d been sure that the King would let the human through. Had he been wrong? Had the human been forced to kill? Or had they struck down Asgore even as he had let them pass?

Papyrus had trouble believing it was the latter. That human had seemed very nice—confused and kind of weird, but nice enough to eat his spaghetti and participate in his puzzles. That was something few people did.

Maybe they hadn’t killed Asgore at all. Maybe he’d just suddenly and coincidentally died of old age or something when the human reached New Home. Asgore had been quite old, after all.

Well, Papyrus supposed he would never really know. The human hadn’t been seen since the whole ugly thing had occurred. Everyone assumed that they had made it past the barrier, and thus nobody could ask for an explanation.

Papyrus had bigger problems to worry about, anyway. Like Undyne.

And Flowey.

Papyrus hadn’t been so worried about him until recently; he was used to only seeing Flowey once every couple of days.

But usually when something big happened in the Underground, Flowey was excited to tell Papyrus all about it. And he hadn’t shown up to tell Papyrus about Asgore’s death—not once. This was highly unusual.

Papyrus worried as he lay on his bed. It was only early evening, but he’d been rather overwhelmed by one of the conveyor belts in Hotland during yet another search, and the Guard had sent him home, telling him to get some rest and they’d give him a report later. He’d reluctantly complied.

Maybe the next time they went out searching for Undyne, he’d look for Flowey, too.

Just as he had the thought, there was a knock at the door downstairs.

Papyrus rushed out of his room and slid down the banister as Sans opened the door. Doggo stood on the front stoop, and only shook his head when he saw Papyrus hovering anxiously behind his brother.

No sign of Undyne.

Papyrus physically felt himself lose heart.

“Hey, don’t give up yet,” Doggo tried to encourage him. “This place has a lot of little hideaways that we don’t know about, I bet. Whatever Undyne’s doing, wherever she is, she’ll come back eventually.” He nodded to the brothers and left.

Papyrus stood tall and tried to believe it.

Not wanting his mind to stray down dark paths, he sat on the couch and turned on the television. Mettaton’s channel should be having a news broadcast as soon as the news came in, and seeing Mettaton was something Papyrus really hated to miss, especially now that he had a _very_ handsome-looking body.

Soon enough, as expected, the news chime rang out, and Mettaton appeared on the screen, looking very sober. Papyrus leaned forward, ready to take in every word he spoke.

“My fellow monsters… it has been five days since the death of our beloved King Asgore, and still there has been no sign of Captain Undyne of the Royal Guard. Search parties are still out looking for her in the deepest crevices of Waterfall and on the tallest cliffs of Hotland.” Mettaton closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “But truthfully… I believe this is a… pointless endeavor. We all know what the Captain was like—if she were still here, she would not let us worry like this. She would have stepped up to help us all already. Therefore… I think by this point we must assume the worst, and recognize that the Captain is no longer with us.”

A pause. Papyrus couldn’t believe what he’d just heard—Mettaton really thought Undyne was gone forever. He drummed his fingers on the couch seat, heart beating fast, and kept listening.

“If that is the case… then there is still one question we all have—who will rule us? Who _can_ rule us? Is there some monster out there who has the ability to run the kingdom anywhere near as well as Asgore did?” Another pause. Then Mettaton smiled. “I believe there is.”

Papyrus sat up straight, eyes wide. He couldn’t possibly mean—?

“There is only one other monster who has the social prominence of the King and the Captain. There is only one other monster who knows how to take command of people. There is only one other monster who knows to make tough decisions for the good of everyone under him. And I believe that that monster… is me.”

_Papyrus was right!_ Mettaton wanted to become the king! He jumped and paced around quickly before sitting down to listen again.

“That’s right, beauties. If there is no one else, then I will be willing to take on this difficult task and become your King. I promise to be a fair ruler with a listening ear and a caring heart. I will wipe away your tears and bring back the hope we have lost, if you will allow me to take the helm and lead the way.” He placed a hand on his chest. “I care deeply about the welfare of the people of this land and the fate of this kingdom…”

Now Papyrus wasn’t listening as much. Mettaton as king… he couldn’t believe he had never considered the possibility. He couldn’t believe that no one else had, either. What an amazing idea! Papyrus had no doubt in his mind that Mettaton would make a good—no, a great king. He was a famous celebrity, after all, very bright and hopeful and kind so far as Papyrus had heard, if a bit arrogant at times.

He tuned back in to hear Mettaton’s final words. “I patiently await your response here in the studio. If you’ll have me, I will strive to be the best king I can be. Thank you.” The broadcast ended.

“Did you hear all that, Sans?” Papyrus exclaimed excitedly to his brother, who had been watching the whole time. “Mettaton’s going to be king!”

“If the people want him,” Sans reminded him, though he secretly thought Papyrus wasn’t wrong. Who else was there?

“I bet the council is talking about it right now. I’m going to call one of them and put in my support for him!” Papyrus pulled out his cell phone. “Will you put in your support, too?”

Sans shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

After they finished the call, Papyrus went back upstairs to his bedroom and collapsed on the bed, hugging a pillow tightly. While he was still sad about Undyne and Flowey and Asgore, his excitement overrode the sadness just a tiny bit. Maybe, just maybe, Mettaton was wrong about Undyne being gone forever—he was just guessing, after all. If Undyne were found, maybe they could rule jointly. Or maybe Undyne would just stay as Captain of the Guard. Papyrus hoped she’d stay Captain—they probably wouldn’t be able to keep up his training if she were busy ruling.

No giving up hope, Papyrus decided. He’d still choose to believe Undyne was coming back and that things would go back to normal under Mettaton’s rule.

Even when everything seemed to point to the opposite conclusion.

†

“Alphys?” Mettaton called as he stepped inside the darkened Hotland laboratory. “Alphys, it’s me… Mettaton. I—I don’t know if you saw my broadcast… but I need your help.”

Not a sound.

Mettaton flipped on the lights. “I know we’re not on the best of terms right now… but I’ve just offered to become the King of the Underground. I know, it sounds wild, right…? Well… I don’t think I’ll be able to do it alone, if the people accept me. And I’d rather have no one’s help but yours… you’re the smartest person I know.”

Still no answer.

“Come on, Alphys… I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I only came to visit to see how my body was coming along… that was kind of cruddy of me to do. But we have to get past that now. There’s bigger things at stake and I need you!” Mettaton said loudly as he claimed the stalled escalator up to Alphys’s private quarters.

To his surprise, she wasn’t there. Her bed was folded up into a cube, and clearly nothing else in the room had been touched in a while.

“…Huh.” Mettaton was confused. Where was she? At New Home, maybe? To see if Asgore really had died? She had had a pretty big crush on him, almost as big as the one she’d had on Undyne…

Mettaton went back down the escalator, and, after a moment’s hesitation, tried knocking on the door of the “little lizards’ room” as Alphys had once called it.

Nothing.

Mettaton sighed. She’d probably holed up somewhere to mourn for a while. She’d done that after she’d watched Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 for the first time.

But Mettaton couldn’t wait for her to come back out. He needed to have help ready in case he was chosen today.

In his mind, he had one more option… but it was only just _barely_ an option. And he wasn’t sure if he was brave enough to crawl back to Napstablook at this point, after years apart from each other.

Really, they wouldn’t be of any help anyway. Blooky was very much someone who preferred to stay out of the spotlight, while Mettaton basked in it every chance he got. For this job, they wouldn’t make very good partners.

But after all these years, Mettaton still felt bad about leaving them behind with no explanation… so maybe he’d still work on finding them a new job somewhere close to him.

Just then, his cell phone rang. It was a number Mettaton did not recognize, but he felt he should answer anyway. And he was lucky he did—it was the top member of the king’s council.

“Mr. Mettaton? The king’s council heard your broadcast and has considered your proposition. We would like to see you immediately in front of New Home, if you can arrange that.”

Well, that had been fast. Mettaton’s soul was practically beating out of its chamber. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

_Asgore help me,_ he thought as he made his way out of the laboratory. _If I’m the king now… I don’t know how I’m going to do this. But I have to try. For you._

†

Papyrus kept the news on for the rest of the day in case there was anything about Mettaton, and in the evening, it paid off. Mettaton himself was making another broadcast—and he was smiling.

“My wonderful viewers… the Council of the King has approached me, and they considered my proposal to become your new king. I am so proud to tell you that they have decided to accept my proposal, and beginning tomorrow, I will become the ruler of the Underground.”

“NYEH HEH HEH, YES!” Papyrus jumped off the couch and fist-pumped the air.

“I’m sure that you, as my fans, are celebrating as I speak.” Mettaton smiled again. “This is certainly an exciting development, to say the least.

“However, it will not be an easy job. I will likely not be on TV as often—though I’ll put as much filming time in my schedule as I can—and I’m sure there will be bumps along the road.” Mettaton sat up straighter. “But rest assured, I will be doing my absolute best from the throne, just as you all will be doing your absolute best from wherever you stand right now.”

Mettaton was _so_ right. Papyrus would do nothing less than his absolute best for the new king.

“In the meantime, darlings, I’ll be fondly awaiting your letters of encouragement. I do read and keep them all. I just have to thank you all for this opportunity to show what I’m really made of.” The robot smiled one more time. “I’ll be seeing you from the other side of the crown.”

As the broadcast ended, Papyrus bounded to where Sans sat in the kitchen, poring over a recipe book. “SANS! Sans, did you hear?! Did you see?! Mettaton is the king now!”

“Oh, is he, bro? That’s real cool.” Sans closed the book and nodded. “Guess we should prepare for some big changes around here, huh?”

“I suppose so, brother! I expect great—no, magnificent things to come out of Mettaton’s kingship! I’m already thinking of what I’m going to suggest for him to do in my letter!” Papyrus rubbed his chin. “Do you think he’d replace all those awful automated puzzles in Hotland with more traditional ones?”

“Maybe, Pap. You’d better mention that in the letter, there’s no way he’d come up with a great idea like that without your help.”

“Perhaps you’re right. I’m going to go start that letter right now!” And Papyrus rushed upstairs to do just that.

As he wrote, he wondered if he’d be able to meet the king someday. Maybe he’d have a chance if he could just get into the Royal Guard; Asgore had often corresponded with them when he had been alive.

Papyrus vowed to work harder and train himself to get in. Someday, he’d be part of them, and he’d get to see Mettaton in person.

He really believed it with all his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's about time I updated this fic, it's only been 9 months!
> 
> so the underground has a new ruler, and also one very excited skeleton. will Papyrus get to meet Mettaton, I wonder? well, it wouldn't be a Papyton fic if he didn't!
> 
> don't forget to leave comments if you liked it, or have thoughts about it!


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